Showing posts with label turtle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label turtle. Show all posts

2.1.12

Caption - White Christmas

Welcome to the first post of Monday Photo Captions in 2012!

Enjoy the captions contributed by fellow bloggers and leave yours for the last two photos.
Selected ones will be posted next Monday with links to your blogs.


Bananaz : My goodness! I've been away for only one month. Look at those cobwebs!

Kerrie : No, I am not wrapped in cotton wool, this is HALLOWEB!

Malay-Kadazan girl : My version of White Christmas!

Cindy : Darn! Painted myself into a corner yet again.


Bananaz : Where's the best place for a manicure?

Malay-Kadazan girl : Urrghhh... I'm getting sea-sick.

Cindy : Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, sushi tonight, here I go.



Send in your captions for the last two images by this week.
All comments are welcomed too.
May you have a jolly week ahead.
May all your dreams come true in 2012.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Linking up with :

26.12.11

Caption - A Big Hug

Welcome to Monday Photo Captions!
Merry Christmas too!

Enjoy the captions contributed by fellow bloggers and leave yours for the last two photos.
Selected ones will be posted next Monday with links to your blogs.


Kay L Davies : Hey! Someone help me down, please.

Liz : I don't want to get my feet dirty!

Bananaz : Friends, rodents, countrymen, lend me your ears.


Kay L Davies : Oh, thank you, thank you for helping me down. Here's a big hug for you.

Bananaz : Sumo duck wrestlers in action.

One : It takes two to tango.



Send in your captions for the last two images by this week.
All comments are welcomed too.
May you have a merry week ahead!

2.11.09

Freedom for Batu


I had the intention to let Batu go if he ever attempts to escape. An escape attempt may mean that he wants to move on. However, if he doesn't make any attempts to escape, it may mean that he's quite comfortable here and I am more than happy with his presence. Many a times, when I thought he has left, I found him again inside the compost pile. I checked on him daily and noticed that he enjoyed tomato and even pomegranate apart from the usual banana, water spinach and water lettuce that were served. He usually appears only at dusk or dawn to have his meal.



On Haloween morning, Batu was no where to be found. Shortly later, he was discovered by a security officer who brought him back to me. I was glad to see him because I had not said my good-byes yet.

On the same day itself, together with the the couple who rescued Batu from the dangerous road, we released him at a pond. It was not the cleanest pond but the environment should be a whole lot more ideal than a garden with a 'pond' too-tiny and dogs too-many.



We had expected Batu to rush into the pond but he walked and walked on land instead.



He headed toward a mangrove area which was not the least swampy that day.



We said good-bye but somehow it didn't feel quite right.



Thankfully, Batu's rescuer came along. He wasn't satisfied with Batu's hide-out and looked for a better home for Batu. With some effort, he found a spot with water spinach growing and a small pool which Batu happily dived in.

Later I found out that Malayan Box Turtles are known to be clumsy swimmers and prefer shallow water. Maybe that was why Batu preferred a small pool than a vast pond. Batu has moss growing on his shell. It looked a little ugly but I read that the moss is supposed to be a good camouflage for him against predators. The strange thing is that the photo I took of him in the compost pile just a few days ago didn't show any moss. The first time I saw the moss was when he was handed to me by the security officer. I had my doubts if it was Batu. The size was the same. The face and the tail looked the same too. However, the carapace and plastron were definitely different. Then again looks can change over time. Maybe I didn't notice the transformation since he remained mostly in the compost pile and only appeared in the dark.

Batu had stayed with us from 15 Sept to 31 Oct 2009. We hope Batu is having a good time out there and sure hope to see him again.

11.10.09

Petting A Turtle

How To Pet A Malayan Box Turtle?

Things You Need
1. A Hand
2. A Turtle
3. A Table (Optional)
4. Patience
5. Loads Of Metta













Steps To Petting A Turtle
1. Put The Turtle On A Table.
2. Be At Eye Level With The Turtle's Eyes.
3. Rub Its Carapace Gently.
4. Focus On The Area Above The Head.
5. Smile And Exude Metta.
6. Do Not Drink Turtle Soup At The Same Time.














The Turtle Enjoying A Good Massage














Warning: Do Not Do This With A Snapping Turtle!

Clifford Looking Fondly At Batu















"Can I Try A 'Paw' To Pet Batu Too?"

10.10.09

A Flying Object

Batu Is Having A Walk In The Garden


He Sees A 'Flying Object'


This 'Flying Object' Appears In All The Photos In This Post

Do You See It?

See Above

And Below

Is It A Plane?
Is It A Bird?
Is It A Fairy?


Aiyah! Not A Fairy, La!

Just A Mosquito.

6.10.09

Alone But Not Lonely


You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with.
Wayne Dyer


What Is Clifford Up To?


From What Is Clifford Up To?

5.10.09

What Is Clifford Up To?


Waiting


Peeping


Fits of Laughter


Gasping for Breath


Waiting for BATU's next joke

25.9.09

Batu's Home

Batu's Home
Effort is being made to recreate its natural habitat.
Cooling water, various types of plants & bugs are available at all times.
It's home is non-gated nor guarded so that visitors are free to visit and more importantly, Batu is free to leave if he wishes to.



Batu's Dining Room
Batu devouring his favourite kangkung. He loves banana peels and water lettuce too but does not fancy cucumber.


Batu's Bedroom
A quiet place that allows Batu to camoulage. Soft bedding complete with optimised temperature and humidity. Batu resigns to the messy compost behind the dining area after meals. Sometimes he enjoys his dessert in the bedroom. Fruits and bugs are available here.

24.9.09

Turtle Symbolism



Turtle mean different things to different cultures at different period of times. Some see it as Heaven, some look at it as Devilish. I like this one below:

Turtles remind us that the way to heaven is through the earth. In Mother Earth is all that we need. She will care for us, protect us, and nurture us, as long as we do the same for her. For that to happen, we must slow down and heighten our sensibilities. We must see the connection to all things. Just as the turtle cannot separate itself from its shell, neither can we separate ourselves from what we do to the earth.

It is believed that turtles will often leave a pool or pond before a draught arrives. This may be a warning of a change in climate.

20.9.09

Malayan Box Turtle Becoming Extinct

The Malayan Box Turtle is disappearing across Malaysia despite a ban on its export, finds a new report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. The turtles are in high demand in East Asia for their meat and for use in traditional Chinese medicine.

Click here for the rest of the story.



19.9.09

One Big Mistake!

Batu's shell is not as flat as the turtles I used to rear. It's carapace (upper shell) is dome-shaped.


The plastron (bottom shell) is hinged, allowing it to withdraw into its shell and ”box” itself in completely, leaving no body part exposed.


Turtles that I had encountered before cannot pull their legs in completely like Batu. As such, I deduced that Batu is not a turtle and therefore must be a tortoise.

One Big Mistake! Only turtles have webbed feet!
Batu's webbed feet above.
The webbed feet can be seen only when the photo is cropped and enlarged.

After a bit of research, Batu should be a Malayan Box Turtle. Only Malayan Box Turtle has 3 unique yellow stripes on each side of its head. It grows to 7.5" only. So Batu has reached its adult size. It has a docile temperament unlike snapping turtles which are very aggressive.

A male has a thick tail as well as a slight plastral concavity. A female has a short stubby tail as well as a completely flat plastron. Batu has a slightly concave plaston and look at his thick long tail below.

Clear information on differentiating male and female were found here.

There is definitely insufficient water feature in my garden for Batu at the moment since I had made the assumption that it's a tortoise. I am thankful that it has rained daily since Batu arrived. Fortunately, we had also been wetting him when the weather was hot to prevent dehydration.


18.9.09

About Batu

'Batu', our new found tortoise is hiding inside the compost during this rainy season. We thought it left but it is just enjoying the heat given out from the compost. Animals are very clever, aren't they? There is no need to bring it into the house when temperature drops. They just know what to do if given enough freedom. Then again, it could be rummaging for food in the compost.

Batu well hidden inside the compost

17.9.09

Kangkung Patch

Yeah!!!Tortoise found the Kangkung Patch on its own!


Burp...

15.9.09

New Member

Petting a Wild Tortoise
A friend found this beautiful creature crossing the street this morning and decided to bring it over.Clifford keeping his distance in case its a poisonous snake.Exploring the Environment Thirsty After ExplorationHere to stay?

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